Gareth is a Welsh name first recorded in Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, where Sir Gareth is a knight of the Round Table and the brother of Gawain; its meaning is uncertain, and it is usually linked to the Welsh gwaredd, "gentleness". The name is widespread in Wales and England but has never been common in America. Gareth stood at number 1522 in 2000 and has drifted down since to number 2776 in 2025.